Feudal Tales
by Nikki Kiraga
Summary: Written specifically for LiveJournal's Feual Tales, a contest community that gives you 2 prompts to choose from. A series of oneshots which may or may not be related.
1. A Heart for a Heart

** Title:** A Heart for a Heart**  
Author: **Nikki Kiraga  
** Rating:** PG-13  
** Genre:** General, Romance  
** Warnings: **Death, Tokijin mention, possibly inaccurate Naraku-parts  
** AU/Canon: **Canon  
**Pairing: **Sesshomaru/Kagura  
**Words: **1,307 Excluding Prompt quote  
**Summary: **Naraku has a new plot to absorb Sesshomaru. Will Sesshomaru choose Kagura's life over his, or will Naraku finally get destroyed?  
**Note: **Written for Week 6, Prompt 1 (included).

* * *

Naraku quietly watched the scene play out before him. He had worked so long towards this day and now he would see it all come to fruition. He slowly stood and made his way to what he had long planned for. He grinned evilly.

Today, someone would die.

--

The cruel, wicked man stalked the halls of his dark, gloomy castle, an evil smirk on his face. He had set his sights on the taiyoukai Sesshomaru once more, but this time things would be different. This time he would not, could not, be overcome. He knew of the demon lord's connection to one of his incarnations, Kagura, and planned to use it against him.

Naraku whipped around a corner, forcefully sliding open the door that closed up Kagura's room. The woman looked up, confusion showing clearly in her crimson eyes. She stood slowly. "Yes, Naraku?" she uttered, watching him. She was always cautious with the man, but he had a particular gleam in his eye that made her worry. Did he find out a way to kill the hanyou? If he did, then nobody would be able to defeat him to set her free! Naraku spoke, but she didn't hear him, absorbed in her own thoughts.

The man watched her, anger starting to boil in his veins. She was ignoring him? She seemed to be thinking. It happened a lot, especially when he had his plans. Of course, he knew why. The woman wanted to be free, "free as the wind" as she said. However, because he had her heart, and with it the ability to kill her with ease, she had always obeyed him. He snarled at the woman, who was still lost in her thoughts. "Kagura," he said in a stoic voice, but his anger was evident.

Kagura's head snapped up, and she looked at him, a puzzled look on her face now. Naraku desperately wanted to roll his eyes. The woman hadn't heard a word he said. Well, she would not be his problem anymore soon, anyway. "Come," he commanded, turning and walking out. He headed back to his chambers, where the hearts of his incarnations were held. Kagura walked behind him, but froze when she saw the man take her heart from a vase. "Do you know what this is?" Naraku asked in an almost mocking tone. When Kagura nodded, her continued. "Good. Now then, we have somewhere to go."

Kagura seemed shocked at first. He was actually going to leave the castle, without using a puppet? Of course, he crushed that idea once he wrapped one of his hairs around a small wooden doll. Huffing quietly, she went to the courtyard with the puppet, and flew off on her feather with it. _What is he up to?_ She wracked her brain, but couldn't think of what his plan could possibly be.

Naraku called in his younger, more emotionless incarnation, the white-haired child Kanna. The girl held up her mirror for him to see. _As that priestess says, "Let the games begin." _The man let out a blood-chilling chuckle, a smirk on his face as he watched the scene unfold through the mirror.

The silver-haired man looked up. Something was strange in the wind. A tiny glitter of hope formed in his heart. Could it be Kagura? It had been so long since he saw her. His eyes turned back toward his two wards, the green toad Jaken, and the human girl Rin. The two were in a field of flowers, the girl grinning as she put "flower jewelry" on the displeased toad. His eyes went to the large dragon the two used for transportation, and nodded to it. Ah-Un stood up, and stalked into the field, to watch over the two.

Sesshomaru stood slowly, and snuck deep into the woods, until he found another clearing. There, Kagura and the Naraku puppet landed. Sesshomaru growled, staring at the puppet, then his eyes snapped to the wind sorceress. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"Naraku" broke in, stepping forward. "Now, now, Sesshomaru. Let's be reasonable. I came to make a deal, and Kagura here volunteered to bring me," he said, chuckling softly when the demon glared at him. Though the other man's eyes were starting to bleed red, the puppet showed no fear, instead pulling out a small pouch. He opened it, and inside was Kagura's heart. He smirked when Sesshomaru froze. "This is Kagura's heart. It's hers, if..."

Sesshomaru growled loudly. "If...?" he pushed in irritation.

The puppet laughed once more, shaking his head. "If you give in, and allow me to absorb your body and all your strength. However, if you refuse," he stopped to grip the heart, causing Kagura to double over in pain, crying out. Sesshomaru took a step forward, then snapped his eyes back to the evil hanyou. Naraku loosened his grip, and wrapped the package back up. "She dies."

Sesshomaru snarled, looking from the woman he had grown to love, to the disgusting hanyou she just _had _to spawn from. He silently tried to judge how quickly he could steal the heart and get away with Kagura. Unfortunately, Naraku was right beside her, so he knew that there was no way. Especially considering the fact that in trying to save her, he would leave himself open to the enemy. He continued considering his options, snarling more and more with each second.

Slowly, Sesshomaru had made his decision. His beast had assisted him in it, though his pride screamed for him not to. Secretly clenching his fists so tightly that he began to bleed, he growled at the hanyou. Naraku grinned, watching the scene from his castle, knowing exactly what the other man's decision was. "Do not harm her," Sesshomaru warned.

The puppet smirked. Naraku had him now, and it was going to be so sweet absorbing a demon so powerful as Sesshomaru. "Does that mean you choose to give up your life for her?" he questioned.

Kagura's eyes went wide. She wanted to live, but she hadn't wanted Sesshomaru to die. She didn't even think that Sesshomaru cared enough for her to give his life. The human girl Rin, maybe. But herself? She shook her head, her eyes pleading with the man she loved. "Sesshomaru, don't do it!" she hissed, before clutching her kimono, as Naraku once again gripped her heart.

Sesshomaru growled again. "Yes, but do not harm her any further."

Naraku eyed him more carefully now. "Remove your swords, and I'll return her heart to her."

Sesshomaru fought the urge to sigh. He should have known that coward would've said that. Of course, he also had a feeling that the man he was talking to was merely another puppet. Sesshomaru slowly unsheathed the Tokijin, throwing it to the ground, then did the same with the Tenseiga.

Naraku slowly handed the bundled heart to the woman crouching beside him, then walked over to Sesshomaru, the two vanishing in a cloud of miasma. Kagura looked up in dismay, and screamed her lover's name, knowing she'd never see him again.

The puppet was destroyed once they arrived at the castle, and Sesshomaru slowly stalked inside, until he was face to face with the man he hated oh so dearly. Naraku smirked. "You're an honorable man, Sesshomaru. Don't tell me you'd break your word?"

Sesshomaru growled, looking as a slimy tentacle slid against his leg. "Just get it over with, hanyou."

Naraku chuckled. "Very well, then." He grinned, tentacles wrapping around the powerful demon, starting to absorb him into his body. Little did he know, Sesshomaru had his own plans.

Sesshomaru's hand turned green with poison, thrusting it through the hanyou's chest. He knew this one would not be a puppet, because Naraku intended to absorb him into his true body. Sesshomaru tore the man's heart from his body, smirking as he jumped back. "You should not have believed you could absorb this Sesshomaru."

Naraku stared at the demon. How could this happen?! He was not only overcome, but outwitted by the demon! This wasn't suppose to happen! He was supposed to win! With his last breath, he spat out, "Damn you!!"

Sesshomaru chuckled, letting the half-disintegrated heart fall to the ground. "Fool." He turned on his heel, and walked away.


	2. Kidnapped

** Title:** Kidnapped**  
Author: **Nikki Kiraga  
** Rating:** PG-13  
** Genre:** General  
** Warnings: **Death, past change...kinda  
** AU/Canon: **Canon...kind of?  
**Pairing: **Sesshoumaru/Kagome Heroic, Shippou/Rin Romantic  
**Words: **845 Excluding Prompt quote  
**Summary: **Sesshoumaru gets a startling message, and has to save a life before his past is changed.  
**Note: **Written for Week 7, Prompt 1 (included). Sequel-ish to my other fic, "Mother" from IY Fanfic Contest. Don't need to read it to understand this, though.

* * *

Sesshomaru slowly paced in front of his office window, the computer print out clutched tightly in his hand. He could hardly believe what was printed there.

Now he had to decide what to do about the information, should he follow up on it and pursue it or forget about it entirely?

Growling in frustration he reached for the phone.

"Akari, cancel all my appointments and reschedule for a later time. I have had something important come up that I need to attend to. If any calls come in I am unavailable to everyone for the rest of the day."

Hanging up he went to a secret wall panel and withdrew two long objects. With any sort of luck he wouldn't have to use them this day to save a life.

--

It had been five hundred years... he thought he'd never hear of the girl again. In fact, last he did, it was four hundred and fifty years ago. His adoptive son-in-law, the kitsune Shippou, had announced his so-called mother's death. Her funeral was a simple one, but large. His hanyou brother Inuyasha, the wolf demon Kouga, and many more attended to say their final good-byes. The most silent one, however, was Shippou. Sesshoumaru had to talk to the younger man, and explain to him that every life has to end eventually. The kitsune got angry at him, but seemed to grow solemn quickly.

Now, Shippou, his adoptive daughter Rin, and their hanyou daughter Kagome lived with him in the Palace of the Moon, which was usually called the Takeuchi Manor in this time. The time was now August of 1992. The young priestess who would free his brother and eventually help destroy the evil hanyou Naraku was currently ten years old. Walking swiftly through the halls, he once again read the letter he received as a fax.

The letter explained that an evil demon held the girl hostage, and if Sesshoumaru did not relinquish 102 million yen by three in the afternoon, the girl would be dead. Of course, that would **not **do. As much as he hated to admit it, the girl arriving in his time had many benefits, and her death could be a very, very bad thing for _his _future. So, it was his duty to make sure the miko wouldn't face an early demise.

Holding the Tenseiga and Bakusaiga in one hand, he swept through to his private elevator. Once he was on the ground, he looked around. Smirking, he allowed himself to jump into the air, a cloud forming at his feet. It was wonderful to use his demon abilities again, after so many years. Chuckling quietly, he imagined how Shippou would throw a fit in jealousy. When he picked up on Kagome's scent, he found himself near a dark warehouse. By the time he got there, he had tied the swords to his side, like he did centuries ago. Putting his hand on Bakusaiga's hilt, he strode into the building.

A large man looked up. His muscles bulged out of his arms, but his nose was flat and lips big. The man's messy, dirty blond hair falling over his dark red eyes. The man smirked, snorting. "Ah, _Lord _Sesshoumaru... so nice of you to come."

Sesshoumaru looked disgusted as he watched the demon. "Boar, you will hand over the girl or pay with your life." Just like that, facing an enemy, he felt like his old self again. The mighty Lord Sesshoumaru of the West, the demon no creature--human, demon, or even hanyou--wanted to mess with. His eyes scanned the room, seeing the girl in much more modest clothing, tied up, blindfolded, and gagged with tape in the corner.

The boar youkai laughed, snorting a few times in the process. "As if!! Where's my money, Ses-shou-ma-ru?" The way he pronounced the youkai lord's name, with such disrespect, such disgust... it made his blood boil.

Slowly unsheathing his sword, his eyes narrowed at the disrespectful hog. "You will receive no money. Hand over the girl now, or I will not show mercy."

The opposing man laughed hard. Deciding that he must have _wanted_ to die, Sesshoumaru moved in swiftly. Swinging the Bakusaiga in a blur, the hog was soon writhing on the ground, multiple cuts on its person. "This Sesshoumaru warned you," he whispered coldly, before swinging the sword a last time, beheading the demon.

Hearing a whimper from the corner, his head snapped up. Remembering why he came here in the first place, he strode over to the frightened ten year old. He cut her free of her ropes, and removed the tape keeping her quiet as she instinctively brought her hands up to remove the blindfold. The child smiled brightly at the man in front of her, and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, thank you, Mister! Thank you so much for saving me!"

Sesshoumaru smiled slowly, letting his stoic mask fade for a moment. She looked just like Rin did at her age. He wondered if somehow Rin was Kagome's ancestor. It could be... the girl always did show oddly demonic traits at time, and though the blood would be very, very faint, she would still be part youkai. Shaking the thought from his head, he pried the girl's arms from his neck. "You are welcome. Now go home."

The young Kagome blinked, but only grinned wide, and nodded. "Thanks again!!" she shouted back before running off. 'Sesshoumaru,' she thought, giggling mentally. 'He was cute.'

500 Years Earlier

"You bastard... Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha yelled, looking skyward.

Standing there was the silver-haired youkai, on top of his large minion's arm. "Oh...? Well done, it seems you've remembered the face of your elder brother." He smirked, hands tucked in his sleeves.

Kagome gasped, eyes wide. "Sesshoumaru? Could it... be?"


	3. Traitor

** Title:** Traitor**  
Author: **Nikki Kiraga  
** Rating:** PG-13  
** Genre:** General, Angst, Drama  
** Warnings: **Swearing, um...yeah.  
** AU/Canon: **Canon  
**Pairing: **InuKag, InuKik, KikHAHA YOU DON'T GET TO FIND OUT!  
**Words: **1,295  
**Summary: **Love could never run smooth, especially with dead priestesses...  
**Note: **Written for Week 8, Prompt 2 (included). Italics demon heart, bold human heart.

* * *

He stood silently watching his little pack as they set camp up for the night. He signaled to Miroku that he was going to go hunt for the evening meal and quietly made his way into the deeper part of the forest.  
Yeah he grumbled good naturedly about doing it but he really didn't mind. He enjoyed watching over them, his friends, his pack his...family.  
Sure, he bitched and moaned about them, but he liked this feeling, a feeling of belonging.  
A loud noise drew his attention away from his thoughts. Quietly he crept forward and peered through the bushes and felt his belly clench in fear.  
He'd gone hunting and look what he'd found. Something that could wipe out his unsuspecting pack.

--

He wanted to hurl, scream, cry, and kill all at the same time. A growl built up low in his throat, threatening to come out and reveal his location. He slunk away, taking out most of his frustration on a group of unsuspecting deer, and dragged the meat to the camp. Again and again, the image he saw flashed in his mind.

He wanted to scream, because she was supposed to be his.

He wanted to cry, because he got to hold her like he always wanted to.

He wanted to hurl, because of the way they kissed so intimately.

He wanted to kill the man who dared touch his woman.

He was scared as well, because he knew the two of them working together could not be a good thing. He cut up the meat easily with his claws, helping Kagome set it up on the fire. His hands twitched nervously, and he looked around often. He wondered if he should tell anyone. Maybe... yeah, he'd tell Miroku, but that was it.

When the girls, and the runt, were asleep, he began to fidget. The monk was his closest friend, but what if it was too much? Miroku, being intuitive as ever, looked at his nervous friend. "Well, Inuyasha? What troubles you?"

The hanyou's head shot up, and stared at the cursed priest, starting to fidget more, his claws toying with the sleeve of his robe. "When I went hunting... I saw something." There was a silence, Miroku patiently waiting for Inuyasha to continue. "Kikyou... she was with..." Now Miroku grew worried. Who was Kikyou with? And why did Inuyasha seem... dare he say it... scared? Then, the hanyou shook his head. "Never mind. Forget it." Inuyasha jumped in a tree, letting himself watch the area, feeling relief when the monk went to sleep. _'I can't tell him. I thought I could, but I can't. Kikyou... why'd you betray me like this?' _His thoughts drove him wild, relentlessly replaying the scene in that small clearing.

A few hours before dawn, he raised his head to see the soul collectors, and his heart sunk. A growl escaped his throat, awakening Kirara. He merely nodded at the cat, before leaping away. That... that _bitch_! Once again, he hated her, much like he did when Kagome freed him from the Goshinboku. But now... now it was different. He knew it wasn't deceit. He knew what he saw was real, and that she really did betray him. And now, she was going to pay for it.

He soon stood before the traitorous miko, his normally golden eyes red and narrowed in his anger. "How dare you," he snarled out. "I saw you kissing him. How _could _you?"

Kikyou only smiled. "What's the matter, Inuyasha? Is your pride hurt? Are you upset that he got to hold and kiss me like you never did?" Her slender fingers ran along a soul collector as it passed, her dead brown eyes staring into his.

Inuyasha's fingers cracked as they twitched. He was furious with the woman he once loved. "So, what Kagome used to say about you. How you'd hurt her... that was true, wasn't it? And how many times have you tries to drag me to hell while I was out of it, huh?!"

Kikyou laughed. She loved angering her hanyou, because she knew he'd never be able to hurt her. "Oh, yes, very true. And why don't you want to come to hell with me, my dear? You promised your life to me, and surely the son of the honorable Inu no Taishou of the West would keep a promise." Slowly, she approached him.

_Kill her._

**I can't... she's...**

_She's a traitor._

**You're wrong. He must have forced the kiss... or... or something! She's not evil!**

_Come, now. We know you want to kill her. Make her pay for what she did to you. Make her pay..._

Inuyasha's eyes filled with red, and he growled loudly at the approaching miko, stopping her in her tracks. The dead priestess looked at her hanyou ex-lover, a smile forming on her pale face. "Why, what's wrong, Inuyasha?"

Now it was his turn to smile, and took a step toward her, almost purring in satisfaction when she almost fearfully stepped back. "It's time to put you in your place, _bitch._" His clawed hand lunged out, grabbing her wrist, and pulled her close to him. "Don't even try to purify me. You, yourself, are impure, so don't bother," he snickered. He grabbed the woman by the neck, and kissed her cold, dead lips, forcefully and carelessly. However, the kiss quickly made him jerk back and snarl again. She tasted of death, dirt, and _him_, and smelled like it as well. It disgusted him, and the angry youkai inside. He threw the woman to the ground. "You know what?" he snapped. "You're not even worth it. I should just end your pitiful existence right now and let all those souls be put to rest."

Kikyou's eyes widened, and she scrambled to back away. "Inuyasha, don't you dare!" she bit out, barely able to hide her fear. She knew Inuyasha, and it wasn't smart to toy with him while he was enraged like this. She reached back, hoping to get to her quiver of arrows and bow before he could attack her.

"You're nothing but a pitiful clay body_. _You _stole _half of Kagome's soul. You _stole _peace from those women. You _stole _my heart, and _crushed _it. First... I'll kill you, and then, I'll kill your _real _lover. How does that sound, Kikyou?" He smirked, and leaped behind her, standing on top of the quiver and bow, crushing both. "Oh, I'm sorry. You were going to try to use these? As if. I won't let you hurt us again. Ever, _ever _again." With that, he made quick work of the clay shell, and returned to camp. On the way there, he calmed considerably, and arrived at dawn. "Oi, get up, wench, I need to talk to you," he muttered, as he nudged Kagome with his foot.

She slowly woke up, and looked up at her hanyou. "Inuyasha, what is it this time?" she whispered sleepily. She sat up, carefully resituating Shippou, and raised her head toward him.

"I told ya. I need to talk to you. C'mon." He grabbed her wrist gently, and pulled her away from camp. Truth be told, it broke his heart to see Kikyou with _him_. It hurt him so much to kill her. But, he had to. She wasn't an ally, and she hindered Kagome by keeping half of her soul... half of her purity. When they got to a new clearing, he slowly sat, and seated her in his lap, burying his nose in her hair. He took a deep breath, and let it out sadly. "Kagome... she betrayed me," he whimpered.

"She? She w... oh. Kikyou. How'd she betray you, Inuyasha?" she questioned softly, reaching up and rubbing his ear. She smiled when a soft purring sound escaped the hanyou.

Kagome's heart broke for him when she heard how broken his voice was. All the pain, sadness, and anger showed through, and she only held him as he cried afterwards. The words he uttered with a broken heart tore through her like a knife, and she could already tell what he did. She, too, had sensed Kikyou. She sensed when he left. She wanted to cry when she did, but now she understood. Her heart cried for him, and she tried her hardest to comfort her heartbroken hanyou. It was too much, she knew, and it'd take him a long time to get over it.

Slowly, his words echoed again in her mind...

"She... she kissed Naraku."


End file.
